How to Find the Secret Connections All Around You

Next time you’re out in public, stop and take a look around at the people nearby. Maybe you’re
waiting in line for your morning coffee
. Maybe you’re sitting in an airport waiting for a connecting flight. Maybe you’re on the sidewalk headed to work.

No matter where you are, there’s a good chance you’re surrounded by other professionals, any of whom could make awesome connections. But aside from introducing yourself to everyone you happen upon (which would be time-consuming and, let’s be real, make you look crazy), how can you possibly tell which of these strangers would be a missed connection for your career, and which should just remain strangers?

Enter
Weave
. This new app, created by Decide.com founder Brian Ma, taps into the information in your LinkedIn profile along with location data from your phone to help you connect with relevant professionals nearby.

Much like Tinder, Weave lets you browse through anonymous profiles of others around you, gleaning information about their professional backgrounds and interests. Swipe right if you’d be interested in meeting them, swipe left if it’s a pass. If there’s a match, Weave initiates a chat so you can
communicate with that individual and set up a meeting
. You can also set up a filter for any specific industry, role, or group membership if you’d like to fine-tune the results.

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Allison Stadd works in marketing & communications and is also a freelance blogger, digital life coach, and social media consultant. She's a fan of good books and good beer with equal enthusiasm, and when she's not slinging tweets, pins, and posts, you'll find her at the nearest concert hall.